BUDAPEST EXPRESS

The Story

Onboard the famous trans-European Budapest Express, you are with Karine Peaufiner, a famous French detective from Paris. You are traveling to Budapest to meet with other detectives showcasing the latest developments in crime scene forensics.
It is nighttime and you are passing slowly through the heart of Europe during a heavy snowstorm. You are reviewing case notes in your cabin with Karine and your colleagues. Suddenly there is a knock at the door, it is the train manager. He looks worried and asks you to come quickly to the First Class dining coach.
When you arrive, you see a man slumped over a restaurant table. He was Sir Clarence Hayden and he has been murdered!
The manager informs you that in one hour the train will stop at the next station, if the killer hasn’t been apprehended, they will be free to escape into the night and get away with this horrible crime!
Your reputation as brilliant detectives precedes you, he asks you to solve the crime so the murderer can be caught and brought to justice. You’re able to narrow down 5 suspects who were seen in the dining car around the time Sir Clarence was murdered.
Moving through the cabins and gathering evidence, the killer knows you are hot on their trail and has decided you are their next target. With you out of the picture they would be free to escape when the train stops.
Solve the riddles and puzzles, gather the evidence and solve the murder before it’s too late!
Do you have what it takes to find the killer before they find you? Time is of the essence!

Audience

Friends & Family

Team Building

Dating

Students

Gamers

Tourists

Difficulty Group

Kids and Family

Advanced

Parking

Bike Parking

Venue - Free

Payment Methods

Credit Card

Cash

Online

Checks

Difficulty Level

8

Pricing

Player price

$29

Player price

$29

More Information

Number of Players:

2 to 6

Room Accepted Currency:

USD

Minimum Age:

7

Minimum Age With Adults:

7

Game Duration in Minutes:

60

GuReview - BUDAPEST EXPRESS

Lobby : Escapology has the largest lobby I have ever been in. With seating for roughly 40+ people, it was an amazing 'WOW!' first impression. It was large, but warm and comfortable. It was also incredibly busy with a few dozen people at any given time! This was the most hustle/bustle I have ever seen at an escape room, and it made the experience feel exciting!

Hospitality : We were offered 'Escapology' water bottles both before and after our gaming experience. Male/Female separate restrooms were available at this location, and were well maintained.

Time Keeping : Our game started on time

Briefing Details : We were led into the room by a GM, and given a quick round of do's and dont's for the room. After she left, a short video played, giving us the back story of the room we were about to play. The video was short enough to keep our attention, but long enough to build an exciting story. This room's video had a strange french-euro accent, which was a nice touch considering the theme.

Operator Intro : Exciting - takes you into the story

Operators :

The owner of the facility was pleasant, friendly, and very dedicated to his business. His staff, while obviously new and on the younger side compared to most venues, were having a lot of fun and kept us good company. Overall, it was a pleasant encounter. While these puzzles and rooms are available throughout the country (and soon to be world), a well trained, pleasant staff truly sets this venue apart.

The Game :

I enjoyed this game very much so. The improvement I'd like to see is more set design in the rooms following the first. The first room set a very high standard, and the following rooms need some additional work to meet the same production level.

The Venue :

With a very large lobby, clean restrooms, pleasant staff, and solid games - we look forward to coming back and playing other rooms at this location.

Main Room - First Glance :

Wow!

Usually, when we look at escape room venue websites, the photos on the page are vastly different than the experience within the physical room. In this case, the first room of this game looks EXACTLY as I expected - this was a WOW! moment. I truly felt as if I was on an old train!

Flow :

Very Good and coherent flow

The game was played among several 'cars' of the train, making the game have a semi-forced flow between rooms. This was very helpful in figuring out what to do next. The flow is strongly controlled by a team's ability to seek out puzzle pieces for the various elements in order to continue on with the game.
The mission of this game is to stop the train and solve a murder, NOT to escape.

Puzzles :

Good puzzles

For having such a well built set, we expected to find several high tech puzzles. However, most of the puzzles were paper/information based, which actually fit in well with the story theme.
However please keep these points in mind:
-This game requires a strong working/reading knowledge of the English language, moreso than other games at Escapology and within the surrounding area.
-Many of the puzzles reminded us of the game 'Clue'. If you're a fan, come and play. If not, skip this room and play one of the several other rooms found at Escapology.
One puzzle was reset incorrectly, giving us extra pieces that we did not need.

Hints & Clues : Ask and you shall receive

Policy: Some Rules

Hints & Clues Quality: There is a button at the front car to press and ask for help.

Our team escaped and made it onto the leader board for time! The owner and GM entered the room, going over some of the puzzles we had questions on. We were then led into the lobby for a bottle of water, a bracelet, and the opportunity to have our photos taken. I enjoyed that even though the venue was busy, we did not feel rushed in any way.